Glass vs Plastic Bottles? What Will You Choose for Your Business?

The packaging industry became more and more important over the years. The way we package products has changed along with the demand. Now, it is important that the packaging containers are able to protect the product over longer transporting times as well as keep it sanitary.

That being said, here we are going to compare glass and plastic containers. This has been a long debate in the packaging industry about which one is better. It is needless to say that both glass and plastic containers have their respective uses. However, we are going to compare them in hopes of determining which one scores better.

Both of these materials play an important part in the safety of the product for which they are used. Because of that, it might be difficult to give a definitive answer about which one is better.

Be that as it may, we are going to dive deep into different aspects of their use. If you are interested in the results, we recommend that you read on. Now, let’s not waste any more time and dive right in.

Glass vs Plastic Bottle

First things first, upon comparing these two materials we can clearly see that there are some major differences between them. These differences are mostly in aspects like reusability, recycling, packaging, and transport. That being said, let’s start with reusability.

Reusability

When it comes to reusability, glass takes the win over plastic. Glass bottles have better longevity compared to plastic ones. Not only that, but glass bottles are completely safe to use for longer periods of time. The only thing is that you will have to wash them after use to keep them clean and ready. Because of this, they are great for households and you can keep them and reuse them as many times as you need.

On the other hand, plastic bottles simply do not have the same longevity as glass ones. If you reuse plastic containers, after some time they begin to release chemicals into the product. They are simply not designed to be reused for a long time.

Recycling

When it comes to recycling, both plastic and glass have similar problems. The main problem with recycling is that it is not done enough. Additionally, when recycling is practiced, it is sometimes not done right. Both glass and plastic require similar recycling methods.

For example, in the case of glass, you need to carefully sort it. This means that clear glass cannot be recycled together with colored glass. This serves as a giant problem when people do not pay attention as a small percentage of colored glass can ruin the whole batch of recycled clear glass. 

Recycling plastic bottles is also problematic to some extent. Mainly because it is not separated from other garbage making it hard and extremely expensive to separate when it reaches the recycling plant.

Packaging and Transport

Lastly, in the case of packaging and transport plastic takes the win. For example, in the bottle-filling industry, even though both glass and plastic are used respectfully, plastic is much easier to work with. This is especially seen in the packaging process. As we all know, glass can shatter pretty easily if it is not handled with care.

On the other hand, plastic is much more durable and damage resistant during the packaging process. However, some products do require glass over plastic and because of that these production lines need to be slower to accommodate the more fragile containers. For example, a piston bottle filler is designed to work with both plastic and glass containers without any issues.

In the case of transport, plastic also proves to be a better option. It weighs less, is less fragile, and overall is much easier to transport over longer distances. As you can probably guess, these reasons make plastic containers substantially cheaper to transport. This is really important when you have large quantities of product.

Glass containers being heavier and more fragile require special care during transport in order to ensure that there will be no damage or large product loss. Because of this plastic is preferred by many in the industry.

Health and Safety

As we have already mentioned, glass is much safer compared to plastic when it comes to health and safety. Glass containers keep the product inside completely safe from outside factors with no risks of inside contamination.

On the other hand, plastic does not fare as well to that as glass. This does not mean plastic is unsafe from the start. The problem with plastic is when it is not stored properly. Outside elements have a greater toll on the plastic, and as we have mentioned it starts to release harmful chemicals into the product.

That being said, there are different types of plastic that are used in the industry. Some types are specifically designed for the product that they hold. Their use is for that product and nothing else. These containers are not reusable. As long as you do not misuse the container and you do not reuse them for a long time you will have no issues with the plastic.

All glass and plastic have their own uses and will continue to be used as necessary. What we can do is pay attention to how we treat and reuse them in order to keep ourselves and the environment safe.